CD reviews: Kanye bests 50, Scorpions and Talib Kweli

Sep. 10, 2007

50 Cent

"Curtis"; Aftermath

3 1/2 stars out of four

If anybody thought that 50 Cent might lighten up a bit to appease rap critics, he dispels that idea right off. He sets the tone with the unapologetic "My Gun Go Off" and goes hard from there. Even when he expands his scope by consorting with pop stars Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake and Nicole Scherzinger, he's still the broad-shouldered bully with a knack for killer hooks. His producers, including Dr. Dre and Eminem, give him plenty of pounding beats that create an air of menace that underpins his boasts of chips stacking and sexual prowess. These themes aren't new, but he delivers them with unmatched swagger and flair. His G-Unit soldiers (Young Buck and Tony Yayo put in cameos) are generally absent, but his high-profile guests, especially Mary J. Blige, bring welcome flavor.

Recommended if you like: DMX; The Game; 2Pac

-- Steve Jones, USA Today

Kanye West

"Graduation"; Roc-a-Fella

(4 stars)

Valedictorians like to urge classmates to shoot for the stars, but this college dropout is one who got the message. With growing lyrical prowess, he explores his own contradictions (he's sort of a humble egotist), career conquests and the complexities of the world he inhabits. "Graduation" has no "Jesus Walks"-like tours de force or weighty conspiracy theories like those found in his previous albums. But West is as inventive as ever, and still smirks at doubters who lauded him as a producer when he created the sonic blueprint for Jay-Z's classic "The Blueprint," but were dismissive of his rhymes. Three albums later, he offers, "I'm doing pretty good as far as geniuses go/And I'm doing pretty hood in my pink polo." The Louis Vuitton Don may major in rap, but he liberally borrows for other music schools to create a much broader soundscape.

RIYL: The Neptunes; John Legend; Jay-Z

-- Jones

Scorpions

"Humanity Hour 1"; New Door Records

2 ˝ stars (out of 4)

In this country, the Scorpions may no longer matter much in the world of rock. But on the German band's 21st album, they still play like they matter.

Indeed there are some surprise successes on "Humanity Hour 1" that might not be expected from a band that hit its commercial peak in the mid-1980s. Singer Klaus Meine's vocals are still instantly recognizable and strong, opening the album with a metal assault on "Hour 1" with thundering drums that could have been lifted from a Ministry song. And "The Game of Life" sounds like the anthem that might be plucked to accompany the closing credits of a blockbuster thriller. The band doesn't ignore the success it had with ballads, and there are a couple here that are worthy retreads of such hits as "Still Loving You" and "Wind of Change."

Scorpions didn't do it all alone though. Billy Corgan makes a barely detectable appearance on "The Cross," and the band brought in producer Desmond Child, who's helped squeeze the remaining glory out of such bands as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper and Kiss. On most levels, the choice seems to be a success.

RIYL: Velvet Revolver; Heaven and Hell; 1980s-era Def Leppard

Note: Scorpions play Sept. 22 at the Grand Sierra Resort Theater.

-- Jason Kellner, Reno Gazette-Journal

Talib Kweli

"Eardrum"; Warner Bros.

3 ˝ stars (out of 4)

For Talib Kweli, getting up close and personal includes moments of getting up in your face. The New York City rapper makes this disc an intimate one by offering something of a manifesto on everything from true religion and pop culture to childhood hunger and ghetto struggles to his thoughts as a father and his appreciation for his "country cousins" (all rappers outside of New York?). On "Stay Around," he pokes a little fun at foes and fans alike who tell him how he ought to be rapping ("You should rap more beat, you should rap more street, and never ever get your mack on, please!").

In fact, while he makes it a theme that he can't be everything to everyone, he succeeds in giving a little something. Lyrical references come from all over, and the sounds are just as far-ranging. The predominantly laid-back beats are full of roiling vintage-style soul grooves. He gets some dramatic choral help on "Hostile Gospel Part 1" and pulls in some obscure Bob Marley on "The Perfect Beat" and a brilliant Fred Williams & the Jewels Band sample on "Listen!!!" which is one of the finest tracks on a disc full of fine tracks.